Meaning & use

continual

adjective·Academic

Last updated

Happening frequently or repeatedly over a period of time, often with brief interruptions.

See it in a sentence

The baby's continual crying kept the whole household awake most of the night.

Continual interruptions made it hard for her to finish the report.

A note on using this word

Often confused with 'continuous': 'continual' implies repeated action with pauses in between, while 'continuous' means unbroken, without any gaps.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

occasional

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